HRA Co-chairs' statement on Speaker Jasper's denial that HRA meetings are a caucus of Republican House members

Date Issued:

Thursday, April 20, 2017

For immediate release
April 20, 2017

Concord. The co chairs said, "We disagree with the Speaker's assertion that the House Republican Alliance (HRA) is anything but a legislative caucus of Republican House members and are disappointed that he continues to attack conservative Republicans and divide the party.

We have just learned that 20 years ago, paperwork was filed with the Secretary of State to establish a House Republican Alliance as a non-profit corporation and that this paperwork was updated in 2015. The law does not require non-profit corporations to maintain bylaws, and we would point out that in the two decades that the HRA has operated just as it does today, no Speaker has suggested that it is anything but a Republican caucus.

While we disagree that the HRA is now or has been anything but a caucus, we want to address the issue the Speaker has raised with finality. Accordingly, after consulting with counsel, we will be asking HRA''s Board of Directors to dissolve the corporation forthwith and carry on the HRA's mission as an unincorporated association. Because the punitive actions taken by the Speaker were premised on his false allegations that HRA was out of compliance with technical requirements of corporate law, the dissolution of the corporation will make those allegations moot.

We fully expect the Speaker and his staff to immediately restore all privileges for the House Republican Alliance to continue its legislative caucus activities like other caucuses, including meeting in the State House premises and sharing recommendations on legislation with State Representatives in the full Republican caucus meetings."

The House Republican Alliance was established in 1997 and is the longest running caucus in the NH House of Representatives. It's goal is to pass legislation consistent with the US and NH Constitutions, and that represents the core values of the state Republican platform and fiscal responsibility.